But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:4-6
That sentence is packed with good stuff, but what I’m focusing on in this post is the three words: “he saved us.” We don’t and can’t save ourselves. We don’t and can’t save other people. God saves people – people just like you and just like me. The rest of the sentence explains more about the “how” and the “why,” and is worth pondering for a while.